Russia reopened its embassy in Burkina Faso on Thursday, some 32 years of broken ties, just as Ouagadougou severed ties with former colonial power France.

The Burkinabe foreign ministry announced that "Russia formally reopened its embassy this Thursday in Ouagadougou."

Alexei Saltykov, Russia's ambassador to Ivory Coast, announced he would lead the mission in Burkina Faso until a new ambassador is selected, and described the country as "an old partner with whom we have solid and friendly ties."

Saltykov said, "Despite our physical absence here, bilateral cooperation in the political and economic fields has never ceased."

The Sahel states saw recent military coups, which ousted Western-backed Presidents, in favor of military juntas that hold nationalistic projects. 

In early December, Burkina Faso and Niger announced they will withdraw from all bodies of the G5 Sahel regional association, including the joint military force. The G5 Sahel included Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritania, and Chad and aimed to fight terrorism in the region. However, the organization has failed to achieve its objectives, as pointed out by the released joint statement.

In August, the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized Moscow's growing interest in African affairs, necessitating the establishment of new missions and an increase in staff within existing Russian missions across Africa. The ministry expressed openness to dialogue with foreign partners seeking equal cooperation and mutual benefit.

Moscow has promised to provide free grain to the African country, which is one of the poorest in the world.

Burkina Faso struck an agreement with Russia in October to build a nuclear power plant to enhance energy supplies to the Sahel country, where less than a quarter of the population has access to electricity.